Smooth Operators

Maurice and Marilyn Harrod Bring a Distinctive Flair to Their Internet Radio Station Smooth Radio

Writer / Gavin LaPaille
Photography Provided

Maurice and Marilyn Harrod aren’t your average married couple. They each hold a title in addition to husband and wife – they’re co-hosts. 

The Harrods host and produce “Smooth Drinks and Jams” each week from their basement in Jeffersontown, on an internet-only radio station they created, Smooth Radio A-21. Listeners tune in from all over the world to hear the couple interview special guests, discuss current events, and play a wide selection of music including smooth jazz, urban classics and R&B. 

Originally planned to just be a 24/7 music station, the couple eventually started hosting “Smooth Drinks and Jams” as a way to add a new element to Smooth Radio A-21 and help bring awareness to other businesses. The show airs live from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. each Friday, and generally features a 20- to 40-minute interview in addition to music, talk and even comedy, with listener interaction throughout. 

“We started the Friday night show just doing music, but people like talk so we started including some talk into it,” Marilyn says. “We had the idea of using the platform help other people promote their businesses or whatever they were doing. That’s always something we have enjoyed doing, helping other people.”

A veteran of the radio industry for more than 30 years, Maurice had an interest in creating his own station and began researching what equipment would be needed. After getting everything set up and curating the station’s playlist, Marilyn encouraged her husband to add “Smooth Drinks and Jams” to the schedule, allowing the duo to further connect with their listeners.

“Once I decided to create the station, I bought a mixer and a couple of microphones and we already had the computer, and that’s all we needed,” Maurice says. “I figured out how to get it working, we sat across from each other and we have a good time. The program is called ‘Smooth Drinks and Jams,’ so we usually have a drink and talk about that too.”

The station’s name, Smooth Radio A-21, has sentimental value to the couple. “Smooth” honors Maurice’s hometown of Washington, D.C., where he says everyone has a smooth aura to them, and also alludes to the type of music normally played on the station. The “A” is a tribute to an old friend of Maurice named Albert, who recently passed away. The “21” is a reference to Maurice’s old college football number. 

Maurice says he and Albert grew up near a radio station and always wanted to own one together.  

“Our dream was to have a radio station when we grew up,” Maurice says. “That never happened, but the ‘A’ is for him. Every time we are there, I can feel his spirit with us. He was my best friend in the world. We were friends since I was 10 years old and he passed away five years ago. The name was a tribute to him.”

“Smooth Drinks and Jams” has become the signature show of the station, and something Maurice and Marilyn look forward to hosting each week. The show strives to highlight different individuals in the music, entertainment and tourism industries, and has featured such guests as Leslie Drayton, a founding member of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and Betty Winston Baye, an author, journalist and talk show host. The couple promotes appearances on their show mainly through social media and word of mouth, and have gotten very positive responses from their listeners. 

“People are really excited to come on our show,” Marilyn says. “A lot of these people may not have a chance to be on other shows yet, so hopefully by us offering these opportunities, others will hear about them. We have people who can really sell their products. We just like promoting people and getting their names out there so others can know about them. We’re very proud of the group of people we’ve had on the show. It continues to build.”

“Smooth Drinks and Jams” began in November of 2019 and now spans more than 150 episodes. The fact that the show started right before the COVID-19 pandemic that forced many to stay in their homes has increased the show’s presence in listeners’ lives around the world. During the height of the pandemic, Maurice was also hosting a show titled “Music Therapy” on Wednesdays, which also gave listeners a chance to further engage with the station’s creators.

“Our listenership really grew after the pandemic because people were staying in,” Marilyn says. “We provided a really good outlet for people who were home on Friday nights. When we go on hiatus, they’re like, ‘OK, just don’t be gone too long.’ The music is fabulous. I’ve heard a lot of DJs, but Maurice’s voice and his selection of music is outstanding.”

The show gives people a chance to connect from all over the world, with many listeners tuning in on a weekly basis. Most notable is Ms. Clara, dubbed “The Mother of the Show,” who is 93 years old and lives in Richmond, Virginia. Maurice and Marilyn were able to meet Ms. Clara when they were in the Richmond area, which was a big thrill to all of them. Each show routinely pulls in hundreds of listeners, represented all across the United States and several other countries. 

Maurice and Marilyn will also host radio parties by request, providing music and a worldwide broadcast, along with an opportunity for attendees to interact with each other and the hosts. 

“We started doing parties and celebrations when people weren’t able to go to parties,” Marilyn says. “You may have a relative in California you want to do a surprise party for. We will get whoever you want to come on the station and we can do those types of parties for you. One of our friends took ill, so to treat him to something special we gave him a surprise birthday party just as a treat for him. Friends and families would call in from different spots to say happy birthday. It was a lot of fun.”

This isn’t the first time Maurice and Marilyn have worked alongside each other on a project. The couple worked in a car rental shop together in the past, and also in the school system side by side, creating programs to highlight black history within Jefferson County schools. The pair performed workshops in about 80 schools countywide.

“We are very compatible,” Maurice says. “People used to wonder how we could work together, but we’re best friends so that’s where we’d rather be. We wouldn’t want to be with anyone else other than each other. It just works out well for us. We are very fortunate in that way.”

Maurice and Marilyn don’t have any set plans for the future, but would love to find a sponsor for the show and increase their audience moving forward. Mainly, they are enjoying spending time together and having fun. 

“Right now we’re just rolling with what it is,” Maurice says. “If at some point we could move to a different platform to go commercial and make money off it, that would be a goal. But right now we are just enjoy exposing a lot of different people to the public, at no profit. It’s easy and no pressure on us. On Friday it gives us a chance to release and relax, to connect with our friends and family.”

Fore more info on Smooth Radio, visit smoothradioa-21.com.